Gold IRA vs. silver IRA: Which will be better for investors in 2026?

Interest in precious metals has increased in recent years, which has helped to drive gold and silver prices to new record levels over the past year. The price of gold is up about 70% for the year, for example, while the price of silver has soared by over 125%. Rising unemployment numbers, global turmoil and tariff uncertainty have also led many investors to seek safety in gold, while an ongoing supply deficit has helped propel the price of silver upward. 

Amid this environment, many investors are looking to add precious metals to their retirement plans through gold and silver individual retirement accounts (IRAs). These accounts are self-directed retirement accounts that allow you to hold precious metals instead of traditional assets like stocks or bonds. They may make sense if you're looking to pair the long-term benefits of precious metals with a long-term investment, such as a retirement plan. 

With both precious metals performing strongly in 2025, it can be challenging to determine which one could benefit you the most in 2026. Could gold IRAs be better than silver IRAs in 2026, or will silver's remarkable run continue in the new year? We consulted a few experts to get better insight into which precious metal might be a better investment in the new year.

Find out how to add precious metals to your investment portfolio today.

Why a gold IRA may be a better investment in 2026

According to some experts, gold may be a better metal option to add to your retirement plan in 2026 because it's more stable than silver. 

"Silver is also more volatile than gold, so gold offers greater price stability," says Jeff Clark, founder of TheGoldAdvisor.com. "Investors should expect silver to be more volatile in 2026, too."

"2026 is shaping up to be another year of economic uncertainty," Deric Ned, founder of GSE Retirement Services, says, noting federal debt, ongoing inflation and central banks' stockpiling gold among the concerns investors face. 

"The environment strongly favors gold's role as a monetary safe-haven," Ned says.

In this environment, the potential stability gold offers may help your money grow over time and protect your nest egg. 

"For retirement investors, especially those within 10 to 15 years of calling it quits, gold's stability matters," says Ned. "Silver can swing two to three times more wildly than gold, and when you're managing a tax-advantaged account with limited contribution windows, you don't want that roller coaster."

Similarly, StackWealth founder Vered Frank lauded gold's ability to hold value when other assets fail. 

"Its role as a long-term store of value aligns perfectly with an IRA's purpose: supporting retirement through a patient, tax-efficient, portfolio-level investment strategy," she says. 

Fred notes that gold is "a particularly attractive asset to hold going into 2026, especially if you are worried as an investor that the market is at all-time highs and you have a shorter time horizon for when you need to rely on your retirement accounts."

Explore your gold and silver investing options online now.

Why a silver IRA may be a better investment in 2026

While gold's stability may appeal to many retirement investors in 2026, silver IRAs can make sense for investors who are willing to take on more risk in exchange for potentially larger returns. Silver tends to move more sharply than gold during precious metals bull markets, which some experts say could continue into the new year.

"Because silver is more volatile, it will rise more in bull markets than gold, and we're in a bull market," says Clark, noting that silver is also more affordable for investors starting with smaller balances. Still, Clark cautions that silver requires more storage space and can come with higher storage costs than gold.

"Silver theoretically has better returns and better return potential than gold, so on a long enough time horizon, theoretically silver should work better," says Brett Elliott, director of content at the American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX). "But depending on when you liquidate, maybe silver's down while gold is more up."

While projecting whether silver could benefit your IRAs in 2026, a long-term view may be more appropriate. 

"Silver's rise was driven mainly by a catch-up trade to gold, reinforced by strong gold prices, supply constraints and renewed investor interest," says Frank. "Silver right now is reacting more strongly to investor momentum and short-term market trends. So if that speculation and momentum of inflows continue next year, silver may outperform gold temporarily. But investing in silver based on those reasons is the antithesis of an IRA's purpose."

The bottom line

As of late December, gold is trading at a new price record of over $4,500 per ounce. For its part, silver continues to rise and is sitting at a record high of over $75 currently. If prices continue to trend upward, it may be beneficial to invest in gold and silver now, before prices rise again. 

So, which precious metal should you consider adding to an IRA? "It's not a question of if this or that," says Elliott. "You can always put both in, and you can balance it. So you could say, I want 50/50 or you could say I want 70% gold and 30% silver. It really kind of depends." 

Consider your time horizon, tolerance for volatility and how you prioritize stability and growth to help determine the appropriate balance for you. Keep in mind that experts commonly recommend allocating your precious metals to no more than 10% of your overall portfolio.